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12/01/2012

Book Review - New York Underground: The Anatomy of a City by Julia Solis

With the recent storm (Sandy) that hit
New York and caused massive flooding, I wondered how all that water that
would affect the various underground infrastructure in the city. Specifically,
what would happen to all those various parts of the subway system and tunnels
that have been closed off and abandoned over the years? Couple that
with my fascination with urban exploration, and this was a logical book
to check out... New
York Underground: The Anatomy of a City
by Julia Solis. While it's not an exhaustive encyclopedia covering
the history of subterranean New York, it does have some interesting information
and great pictures.

Solis has spent plenty of time exploring
what lies below street level in New York, so she's got the "been there,
saw that" experience. The book covers a variety of topics, such
as the subway system, underground utilities, tunnels, and foundations.
Rather than trying to provide a comprehensive account of everything
that's happened from the first dig until now (now being 2004 when the book
was published), she relates the important background and interesting facts
that drove some of her underground exploration. That format provides
a good format for her to share various photographs, both from her own camera
and those taken by others over the years. It's quite easy to get
lost in the images, as they are sights that most people will never see
(or areas that no longer exist). It left me wondering what damage
was done during the storm floods that will never be discovered, or that
will only be discovered when it causes an active portion of the system
to fail.

New
York Underground doesn't take
that long to read, but it's an interesting tour through parts of New York
long since forgotten or abandoned. It made me wonder what other secrets
are still buried...

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When you do that, all your purchases during that session earn me an affiliate commission via the Amazon Affiliate program. You don't have to buy the book I linked you to (although I wouldn't complain!). Simply use that as your starting point.